Val’s Crafty Corner: Patriotic Note Cards

This crafty activity with Melissa & Doug art supplies is brought to you by Melissa & Doug, written by our Blog Ambassador Valerie Deneen.

Put your stamp on a thoughtful thank you! -Val

With Memorial Day soon upon us, I thought it would be the perfect time to invite my daughter to create some handmade patriotic note cards. We plan to mail these cards to soldiers who are serving in Afghanistan as a tiny thank you for all of their hard work. You won’t believe how easy they are to make!

To make some note cards of your own, fold a sheet of paper in half, then invite your child over to draw a few lines across the front of the card.

Next, use the opposite end of a triangular Melissa & Doug crayon as a stamp to form the flags across the banners. (Ask the child to grip the crayon, press the flat end on a stamp pad, then stamp the ink onto the paper.) Older children may want to practice forming patterns by alternating colors. This is a great activity for developing those important fine motor skills!

You can also sneak in some color-matching practice by asking your child to stamp the blue crayon in the blue stamp pad, and the red crayon in the red stamp pad. Tip: Melissa & Doug stamp pads and stamp sets use washable ink, which can easily be removed with a baby wipe!

Shown: Jumbo Stamp Pad and Jumbo Triangular Crayons

Encourage your child to sign her name inside the card, or to write a short message of thanks. Mail your hand-stamped note card to someone special!

Perfect for traveling! We’ve partnered with our friends at Highlights for Children to bring some extra creative fun to your children this summer, with our FREE 10-page Boredom Busters printable activity book for kids! Check it out!